THE ILLINOIZE: Monday Free for All...SAFE-T Act ruling expected tomorrow...About the ban on styrofoam...AFSCME contract details
July 17, 2023
Good morning, Illinois. Happy Monday.
The Cubs are six games under .500 and are probably about to trade their only two good players. The White Sox are 15 games below .500 and are probably going to do the same. The Cardinals are in last place and have even driven off the “Best Fans in Baseball.” Great summer for America’s pastime in the Midwest.
The Governor is still in the UK and, as of last night, hasn’t tweeted anything about the trip from his official account. And he even brought a Comms staffer with him. Good use of state resources.
We got our hands on and made public the first details of the new state contract with AFSCME. Subscribers got the story first Friday.
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Let me know what’s on your mind. Drop me a note anytime at patrick@theillinoize.com.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR MONDAY FREE FOR ALL
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Illinois Supreme Court expected to rule on elimination of cash bail Tuesday (Shaw Media)
The Illinois Supreme Court is scheduled to issue an opinion Tuesday deciding whether cashless bail for criminal defendants will be implemented in the state.
Illinois Supreme Court Clerk Cynthia Grant issued a notice Friday indicating that the court expects to file its ruling at 9 a.m. Tuesday deciding a lawsuit over the constitutionality of the state's plan to eliminate cash bail, a key element of the criminal justice reform law known as the SAFE-T Act.
The Supreme Court paused the implementation of cashless bail "in order to maintain consistent pretrial procedures throughout Illinois" pending its ruling.
Among the critics of the proposal has been Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, who filed a lawsuit Sept. 16 arguing that cashless bail will cripple his ability to prosecute cases, "much like the courts will be stripped of their inherent authority to manage their courtrooms."
A spokeswoman for Gov. JB Pritzker, one of the defendants named in Glasgow's lawsuit, called the suit a "weak attempt to protect the status quo that lets murders and abusers pay their way out of jail."
"The SAFE-T Act not only prevents that from happening but also provides law enforcement officers the tools they need to fight crime, like body cameras, additional training and access to mental health care," Pritzker's spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said.
Advocates praise bills aimed at reducing plastic and polystyrene use; some restaurants have concerns (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed several bills last month aimed at reducing plastic and polystyrene use. Two other bills environmental advocates say are important steps to improving reusable systems and minimizing waste are still awaiting his signature.
Senate Bill 58 would require state agencies and public universities to significantly reduce their purchase of single-use plastics, including materials made out of polystyrene, which is the main substance in foam takeout containers.
The goal of Senate Bill 58 is to encourage companies to move toward manufacturing more environmentally friendly options, like paper products, said Andrea Densham, a senior policy adviser with the Great Lakes Alliance.
“We can do that by using the marketplace, which you know, the state of Illinois is a large purchaser,” Densham said.
But some working in restaurants have concerns about a possible industrywide polystyrene ban in the future.
Ghaleb Massoud runs Yaba’s Middle Eastern Grill in Logan Square and said recent efforts by Illinois lawmakers to encourage producers to switch to nonpolystyrene options could hurt the business.
Every month Massoud checks online prices for foam takeout containers, purchasing the cheapest option for his family-run restaurant.
“The alternative will be very expensive for us,” he said. “Actually, many restaurants cannot afford it.”
Raising costs for small restaurants that have negligible environmental impacts are exactly the reason Illinois has the reputation it does for business friendliness.
FROM THE ILLINOIZE LAST WEEK
Union Details State Contract, GOP Says Pact will Smash Budget Surplus
Moderate Natalie Toro Appointed to Senate, Big Primary Anticipated
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
What you can do at redesigned Illinois secretary of state website (Daily Herald)
Illinois State Museum’s return of sacred statues to Kenya part of ongoing reexamination of cultural artifacts (Chicago Tribune)
'An amazing, confident individual': Death of Springfield community organizer mourned (State Journal-Register)
Chicago man who stole prized photo from Nancy Pelosi’s office during Capitol riot gets more than four years in prison (Chicago Sun-Times)
Former appellate court judge enters race to replace Kim Foxx as top Cook County prosecutor (Chicago Sun-Times)
U.S. District Judge James Zagel, ‘Renaissance man’ who presided over some of Chicago’s biggest trials, dies at 82 (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: Human services too often inhuman for developmentally disabled (Champaign News-Gazette)
Editorial: Horrors at state institutions continue (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Editorial: ‘Snoopy’ sculpture heads from Thompson Center to the Art Institute (Chicago Sun-Times)
Editorial: Whether in state legislature or U.S. Supreme Court, ethics should not be partisan (Daily Herald)
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